Balloons always seem so cheerful. Their bright colors and interesting shapes have long been a decorative touch for parties and a fun thing for young kids to clutch in their tiny fists. However, balloons are proving to be a dangerous source of pollution that can put wildlife at risk. A family in Beckingham, England found this out the hard way. (1)
Deadly Birthday Balloon
Sharon Lay and her fiancé Adrian experienced a devastating loss at the hands of a discarded birthday balloon. The couple’s six-month-old calf became fatally ill after unwittingly eating the object. (1)
The calf, Lisa, experienced a week of severe suffering and died despite her fight to survive. “She wouldn’t give up, she was fighting it,” says Sharon. “It’s horrible. If she had got an infection or became ill, you would understand. But this is so needless.” (1)
Adoptive Mom Tried To Help
The calf’s condition caused distress for the family and Lisa’s mother. The calf was purchased to offer comfort to a cow who had recently lost her own calf. “Her mum lost her calf giving birth six months ago, so we had decided to get Lisa for her,” says Sharon. Sharon’s family brought the sick calf back to her adoptive mother so they could be together in the field. (1)
“After she had died, we found she was wet – her mum had been licking her trying to wake her up,” says Sharon. “She wouldn’t leave her side. When we were taking Lisa away her mum was running around the tractor trying to get it to stop.” (1)
Calf Ate Balloon
The couple was alerted to Lisa’s condition by a member of the public. “A passerby rang the landlord saying they had seen a cow staggering in the field,” says Sharon. (1)
The vet was called and discovered the blockage in the calf’s bowels. “The vet said she had eaten something, and it was lodged in her bowel. There was nothing we could do; cows have several stomachs and it had gone too far.” (1)
Happy 70th Balloon
“We found half the balloon and our hearts sank,” says Sharon. “It said ‘Happy 70th birthday’ on it, but now Lisa won’t even make it to seven months.” The couple and their 13-year-old foster daughter tried to nurse the calf back to health without luck. (1)
“We were using a bucket and cup to give her water as she couldn’t keep her head up. We went up every day with our foster daughter,” says Sharon. “Her mum and the other cows would lick us – that’s how they show their appreciation we were trying to help. We were rolling her, trying to get her up but she couldn’t.” (1)
Following the agonizing week watching the poor calf die, Sharon is asking people to be cautious with their rubbish. “I know that some people accidentally let go of balloons, but some people just let them go with no idea where they will land,” she says. (1)
“People need to be more conscious of what they’re doing. If they land in a field like this one has then a cow or a deer or some other animal will eat it and will die.” (1)
